Coordinate measuring machines of the aforesaid type are known, comprising a base provided with guides along a first horizontal axis X, a first carriage mobile on the base along the axis X and comprising an upright provided with guides extending along a second vertical axis Z, a second carriage carried by the upright and sliding on the same along axis Z, and an arm carried by the second carriage and extending along a third horizontal axis Y orthogonal to the axis X. One end of the arm is adapted to carry a contact or optical detector for measuring the dimensional features of parts.
Machines of this type may be used, for example, in the automotive industry, individually or in pairs, for dimensional monitoring of vehicle bodyworks on manufacturing lines; such machines are therefore large in size. For example, the measuring volume may be in the order of 6-7 m along axis X, 1.5-2 m along axis Y, and 2-3 m along axis Z.
The coordinate machines of the type briefly described must be assembled and tested at the manufacturing plant, and therefore disassembled again, at least partially, to be transported to the installation plant. It is indeed unthinkable, given the dimensions of the concerned machines, to deliver them assembled.
Such subsequent assembly and disassembly operations, as well as the component packing operations, are time-consuming and costly.